MSF leaves Somalia

When I was in Nairobi earlier this week I met several members of the MSF-Spain Somalia team who had been evacuated to Kenya after a bomb killed three MSF staff in Kismayo Somalia on Monday. The team I met had also been evacuated in late December, after two members of their team were kidnapped from their project in Somalia. Thankfully, the Spanish doctor and Argentinian nurse were released after a week in captivity. This story gives a few more details about the kidnapping.

The twice-evacuated team seemed exhausted and fed up by the situation in Somalia. They did not know whether they were going back to their project or not. Yesterday, all MSF sections decided to suspend their activities in Somalia until further notice. Prior to this decision, MSF worked in Somalia continuously for over 16 years. Fourteen projects have now been stopped, and 90 expats sent home or redirected.